Angry Birds Go Coasts Into Your Wallet on iOS and Android

Angry Birds Go is a casual racer with all the characters from the original Angry Birds games piloting makeshift cars through wacky downhill tracks. Unlike previous Rovio titles, this one is free-to-play, which means in-app purchases are part of the deal. You can get it on iOS and Android right now.

The undisputed king of mobile gaming a few years back was Angry Birds, and Rovio is not done with the franchise yet. Angry Birds Go is a casual racer with all the characters from the original Angry Birds games piloting makeshift cars through wacky downhill tracks. Unlike previous Rovio titles, this one is free-to-play, which means in-app purchases are part of the deal. You can get it on iOS and Android right now.

The premise of the game is simple. Each track is a long downhill slope with various twists and turns before you reach the bottom of the hill. There are several different event types, all a little simplified when compared to the usual racing fodder. There are multi-car races, of course, but also 1-on-1 events, time trials, and a mode where you have to smash fruit scattered across the track.

Each of the birds has its own special power that matches with the ability it displayed in the original game. For example, that yellow triangular bird blasts ahead like a rocket. In addition to the birds, you can play as the pigs (if you can stand the oinking that previously indicated failure).

Because this is a free-to-play game, it has been designed to push you toward in-app purchases, and it's a little aggressive about it. There is an energy system that makes you take a break so your characters can rest, but you can spend resources to get back to it faster. You can also buy more currency and even better cars. Some of these items are expensive too—one of the cars is $50. The game also supports Telepods, small toys you can buy in real life that can be beamed into the game with the camera.

Angry Birds Go has a clean look with 3D cel shaded graphics and neat animations. It feels like an Angry Birds game, even though the design is completely new for Rovio. It's cute. Is it cute enough to justify the cost? You'll have to find out for yourself, but it's going to be a popular app.

Ryan Whitwam is a freelance tech/science writer and fan of all things electronic. This long-time skeptic and former research scientist is a lover of the em dash and a defender of the Oxford comma. He also writes for Geek.com and ExtremeTech.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RyanWhitwam
Google+: https://plus.google.com/100763287620455240154More »